The Teaching of Hazrat Inayat Khan      

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Volume

Sayings

Social Gathekas

Religious Gathekas

The Message Papers

The Healing Papers

Vol. 1, The Way of Illumination

Vol. 1, The Inner Life

Vol. 1, The Soul, Whence And Whither?

Vol. 1, The Purpose of Life

Vol. 2, The Mysticism of Sound and Music

Vol. 2, The Mysticism of Sound

Vol. 2, Cosmic Language

Vol. 2, The Power of the Word

Vol. 3, Education

Vol. 3, Life's Creative Forces: Rasa Shastra

Vol. 3, Character and Personality

Vol. 4, Healing And The Mind World

Vol. 4, Mental Purification

Vol. 4, The Mind-World

Vol. 5, A Sufi Message Of Spiritual Liberty

Vol. 5, Aqibat, Life After Death

Vol. 5, The Phenomenon of the Soul

Vol. 5, Love, Human and Divine

Vol. 5, Pearls from the Ocean Unseen

Vol. 5, Metaphysics, The Experience of the Soul Through the Different Planes of Existence

Vol. 6, The Alchemy of Happiness

Vol. 7, In an Eastern Rose Garden

Vol. 8, Health and Order of Body and Mind

Vol. 8, The Privilege of Being Human

Vol. 8a, Sufi Teachings

Vol. 9, The Unity of Religious Ideals

Vol. 10, Sufi Mysticism

Vol. 10, The Path of Initiation and Discipleship

Vol. 10, Sufi Poetry

Vol. 10, Art: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Vol. 10, The Problem of the Day

Vol. 11, Philosophy

Vol. 11, Psychology

Vol. 11, Mysticism in Life

Vol. 12, The Vision of God and Man

Vol. 12, Confessions: Autobiographical Essays of Hazat Inayat Khan

Vol. 12, Four Plays

Vol. 13, Gathas

Vol. 14, The Smiling Forehead

By Date

THE SUPPLEMENTARY PAPERS

Heading

Superstitions, Customs, and Beliefs

Insight

Symbology

Breath

Morals

Everyday Life

Metaphysics

Sub-Heading

-ALL-

1.1, An Ocean in a Drop

1.2, The Symbol of the Sun

1.3, The Symbol of the Cross

1.4, The Two Forces

1.5, The Symbol of the Dove

1.6, The Symbol of the Sufi Order

1.7, Symbology of the Dot and the Circle

1.8, Symbolism of Lines --

1.9, The Symbolism of the Triangle

1.10, Symbology of the Mushroom

2.1, "Die Before Death"

2.2, Fruitfulness

2.3, The Symbol of the Dragon

2.4, Water

2.5, Wine

2.6, The Curl of the Beloved

2.7, The Glance

2.8 The Myth of Balder

2.9 The Tree of Wishes

2.10 The Hindu Symbolical Form of Worship

3.1, Layla and Majnun (1)

3.2, Layla and Majnun (2)

3.3, Christ Walking on the Water

3.4, Shaqq us-Sadr, the Opening of the Breast of the Prophet

3.5, Miraj, the Dream of the Prophet

3.6, The Flute of Krishna

3.7, Tongues of Fire

3.8, The Story of Lot's Wife

3.9, The Symbology of Religious Ideas

3.10, The Ten Virgins

Vol. 13, Gathas

Symbology

1.10, Symbology of the Mushroom

The Chinese philosopher is symbolically depicted holding a mushroom stem in his hand. The mushroom represents the earth and what comes from it and what is close to it, and keeping it in the hand means spirit handling or controlling matter.

At the same time it suggests a moral, that the sign of the sage is to be as tender, as refined, as meek, as humble as a mushroom. It teaches the same moral that Christ taught, "If one smite you on one cheek, turn the other cheek." If one strikes on the rock one's own hand will be hurt, but one will not have the same experience by striking the mushroom.

It also teaches the philosophy that all the produce of this earth, however precious, is in the spiritual sense no more than a mushroom, which is subject to destruction every moment.

It also teaches the idea of being in life as free and independent as a mushroom, which needs no special care and demands no great attention from others. If anyone will use it, it is ready to be used; if anyone will throw it away, ready to be thrown away without causing great loss.

It also suggests a mystical point: While all other plants and trees respond to the wind and storm and make a noise, the mushroom stands still without uttering one sound. When the body and mind of the mystic are trained to the stillness of the mushroom through all storms and winds of life, then the mystic achieves perfection.